Re: Midwest Radical Scholars Call

["Carl Davidson" <cdavidson@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

SEVENTH ANNUAL
MIDWEST RADICAL SCHOLARS
& ACTIVISTS CONFERENCE
PROSPECTS FOR THE NEW CLASS WARFARE:
RIGHTISM, LIBERALISM & THE LEFT
ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY, CHICAGO
NOVEMBER 15 - 16


CALL FOR PAPERS AND PANELS

Most Americans believe they  are in deep economic trouble. They're
worried about job security, shrinking paychecks and a growing gap
between rich and poor. That's the main issue brought to the surface
in all the debates surrounding the  1996 election campaign.

But the choice between Bob Dole's authoritarian conservatism and
Bill Clinton's regressive neoliberalism offers only another rerun of
 the "lesser of two evils" dilemma. No matter who wins, everyone who
earns a living by selling their labor, rather than by cashing in on
the labor of others, is going to be in harsh and difficult
circumstances.

DANGEROUS TIMES

The right wing is stagnant but entrenched. The liberals are
thoroughly compromised by corporate ties and capitulationism. And a
proto-fascist menace -- in the form of Pat Buchanan, the religious
fanatics and the militia -- is on the rise.

At the same time, the trade union leadership has shifted a few steps
to the left and is aggressively recruiting a new breed of young
organizers and seeking insurgent allies. The Million Man March
revealed a widespread readiness for mobilization among African
Americans. Almost in unison, the business press has expressed its
fear of an outbreak of  "new class warfare."

Can the left meet the challenge of these conditions? Can it develop
the ideas, the strategies and the tactics needed to overcome
isolation and division?

Our conference this year will provide an arena where our best
approaches to these questions, from the perspectives of both
scholars and activists, can be presented and examined from all
sides. With the common goal of getting some clear and fresh
thinking, we are calling for papers and inviting speakers on many
questions, including:

Can the left formulate structural reforms in the economy and
government to help workers and  the unemployed and to reduce the gap
between rich and poor?  Should we do so, even if it means helping to
save capitalism from itself? How do we approach welfare reform, the
minimum wage, the social and the negative income tax?

Can democracy survive dollarocracy?  Are fair and free elections
truly possible in societies ruled by great wealth? Should we take
part anyway? How do we assess the Labor Party, the New Party and the
Green Party? What does the outcome of 1996 tells us about the
political composition of the electorate?

What kind of political consciousness or alliances do we need? Is
there a solution to the tension between class-based politics and
identity politics? How do we deal with antagonisms around culture,
race, gender, and class? Does class consciousness really exist? Is
there an American mainstream? Or is it a mosaic? How do we deal with
the scapegoating of homosexuals and immigrants?

What kind of society and culture do we want? How do we get it? Has
the revolution in the means of production -- robotics and the
information highway -- changed everything? If there is no such thing
as a fully planned economy or a totally free market, what is our
vision of socialism?

Our gathering of left scholars and activists will not solve all
these problems, but we will provide common ground for fruitful
discussions, both theoretical and tactical. We will have a variety
of forms for presentations -- plenaries, major panels, round tables,
and workshops. Authors of new works should encourage their
publishers to take part in our two-day Book Fair.

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 15

Send in your proposals by September 15. We are open to all trends on
the left and among rogressive social movements who are themselves
committed to open discussion. We hope you join us in November.

Help us build the conference by sending in your registration fee
early. $50 for sustaining registrations, $25 regular, $15 for
students and low-income. Make checks to Networking for Democracy,
3411 W Diversey Ave, Suite 1, Chicago IL 60647-1245.

Tel: (312) 384-8827.  Fax: (312) 384-3904.   E-mail: cdavidson@xxxxxxxx

Donations are tax deductible. Initiated by Open University of the
Left and Networking for Democracy: Co-initiator at Roosevelt: School
of Policy Studies
Keep On Keepin' On


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